Store management has the right to refuse to accept items that may pose a health or safety risk (e.g., broken monitors not packed in a box, laptops with damaged batteries, etc.). If you are unsure whether an item is acceptable, please contact your local Staples with questions.

Is there a limit on how many items I can recycle?

Staples has a limit of 7 items per customer per day. Certain stores may, at the general manager’s discretion, accept a larger number of items on a case-by-case basis.

What items are eligible for tech trade-in?

Note that several items, like laptops, tablets and smartphones, are eligible for our technology trade-in program.

Here’s how it works:Bring in your eligible devices and you will receive a quote for the value of your item(s) in store and online. If you agree with the valuation, you may trade it in for a Staples® eCash Card to use on anything in store and online.

Do I have to be a Staples Rewards® member?

No, you do not need to be a Staples Rewards member to recycle or trade in items at Staples.

I have a business, can I recycle as part of this program?

Staples accepts eligible items from any customers whether they are for personal or business use. However, employees of businesses or other organizations should confirm with their information technology team about recycling any company devices. There may be specific requirements that need to be met before recycling items.

Staples takes steps to protect customer information and can erase customer computers prior to recycling as part of our technology services, but we do not provide asset tracking, certificates of destruction or certificates of erasure through our retail store program. Staples does offer mail-back box programs and pick up of electronics for businesses with 10+ employees through our Staples Business Advantage division.

Can I recycle at any Staples store?

All Staples stores except for our smaller-format stores in New York City and Washington, D.C. accept electronics for free recycling every day they are open. Find a Staples near you.

Where in the store do I drop off my electronic items to be recycled?

Simply bring your electronic items up to the customer service desk and a Staples® associate will take care of recycling them for you. Don’t forget that you can earn a Staples eCash Card when you trade in eligible tech devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Confirm the trade-in eligibility of your devices in store at the Staples Tech Services desk or online.

Why should I recycle electronics?

The average American household has 24 electronic devices, not to mention all the electronics used by businesses. Hundreds of millions of these devices become obsolete each year. That is one reason why electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the United States.

Recycling electronics helps ensure that the precious metals, aluminum, steel, plastics and other materials are recycled. For example, there is 324 times more gold, 13 times more copper, and 6.5 times more silver in one pound of smartphones than a pound of ore found in typical mining operations. Recycling supports the recycling industry and helps create jobs in the United States and diverts hazardous materials like lead, mercury and cadmium from the air, water and soil.

Why should I recycle my electronics at Staples?

Unlike many municipal programs, some other national retailers, and other local recyclers, recycling all eligible items at Staples is always free and convenient. Plus, our national recycling partner, ERI Direct, processes all material in the US and is certified to the most rigorous standards. Staples received the highest score (B+) out of all retail recyclers in the Electronic Retailers Electronic Recycling Report Card, which evaluated retailers on convenience and use of certified recycling partners among other factors.

How does the recycling process work?

Materials Staples collects from customers are kept in an employee-only area of the store for a short time until sufficient material has been collected to backhaul to our Staples® warehouse locations. The Staples warehouses consolidate the electronics into full truckloads and ship the material to the facilities of our national recycling partner, ERI Direct. There, the material is triaged based on potential for remanufacturing or parts harvesting. Items that can be refurbished or that may have parts that can be reused are separated and processed separately.

Any computers, phones or other data-containing devices with hard drives entering the reuse market are wiped to Department of Defense specifications or the hard drives/memory cards are destroyed. Older electronic items are pre-processed and then run through a large shredder to separate various metals, plastics and glass for sending to different, downstream recycling facilities.

How does Staples ensure the material you collect is responsibly recycled?

Staples is an e-Stewards Enterprise, which means that we have committed to using certified e-Stewards recyclers whenever possible to handle the materials we collect. ERI Direct, a certified e-Stewards Recycler, is our primary recycling partner for electronics and therefore must be audited against stringent standards and disclose their downstream processing partners to ensure that they are using responsible e-waste recycling practices and not exporting or otherwise improperly handling electronic materials.

Do you accept batteries and if so what kind?

Staples only accepts rechargeable Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), and Nickel Zinc (Ni-ZN) batteries that are 11 pounds or less. We do not accept automotive/wet-cell batteries or alkaline or lithium batteries. All collected batteries are recycled through a program with Call2Recycle.

Are appliances eligible for tech recycling?

Staples currently accepts coffee brewers weighing less than 40 pounds. No other appliances are currently eligible
for recycling at this time.